The Lower Bluff area in St Leonards has 12 unsealed roads that service around 300 properties.

In June 2019, we applied a blended gravel treatment to the roads, with the aim of improving the road condition by reducing dust in summer and surface water in winter. However, we have received some community feedback that dust and mud continue to be a concern.

In early 2021 we surveyed residents to better understand their concerns with the roads. Dust and mud were key themes and we proceeded to develop solutions to address this.

The most effective solution to remove dust and mud is to seal the roads. In December 2021, we spoke with the community again to see if there was support to seal all roads or the main roads.

Sealing the roads was not supported however, there was strong feedback regarding reducing the volume of vehicles and speeding drivers travelling through Lower Bluff.

Community Engagement - Stage 1, February 2021

On 4 February, the City commenced community engagement on unsealed roads in the Lower Bluff, St Leonards.

During the 32 days of engagement we

• contacted 250+ property owners contacted via mail,
• received 94 contributions via the online map tool (see below), and;
• gained 70 followers on our Have Your Say page

The information gathered helped us to develop solutions for the area.

Please view the engagement summary here. An MS Word version is also available in the document library on the home page.

Community Engagement - Stage 2, December 2021

We received 153 responses to the survey and over 75 residents attended information sessions.

From the 153 survey responses 75 indicated 'Keep the roads as they are' as their most preferred option, while 55 people said they would like to see an alternative solution.

When analysing the comments on ‘other’ there was a strong emphasis on traffic management and traffic volume, as well as several requests to replace the current gravel blend.

As such the City will not progress sealing the roads within the Lower Bluff, St Leonards.

We have taken on community feedback regarding reducing the volume and speeding drivers, and will:

1. Seek support from the Department of Transport to reduce the speed limit
2. Review the current traffic signs and install appropriate signage to identify no through roads
3. Create slow-points on the main spine roads to encourage drivers to drive slowly and discourage using the roads as a ‘rat-run’
4. Consider truncating Cliff Street at Wattlehill Grove to further reduce traffic

We will also review the gravel blends available when the roads are next scheduled to be resheeted to determine a suitable product for the Lower Bluff.

The results of the engagement can be viewed here.